Patient relations manager vs patient advocate

The differences between patient relations managers and patient advocates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a patient relations manager and a patient advocate. Additionally, a patient relations manager has an average salary of $43,633, which is higher than the $36,325 average annual salary of a patient advocate.

The top three skills for a patient relations manager include patients, schedule appointments and patient care. The most important skills for a patient advocate are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Patient relations manager vs patient advocate overview

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Advocate
Yearly salary	$43,633	$36,325
Hourly rate	$20.98	$17.46
Growth rate	-4%	-4%
Number of jobs	77,096	88,778
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a patient relations manager do?

Patient Relations Managers serve as the front desk personnel of offices or organizations. They handle the comments, questions, and any concerns associated with patients. It is their responsibility to manage patient relations as well as their complaint activity. Also, they ensure timely and thorough resolution of patient's concerns, complaints, and other issues.

What does a patient advocate do?

A patient advocate is responsible for supporting the patients with the medical processes in a healthcare institution, assisting them with insurance claims and medical billing disputes, verifying treatment procedures, and conducting referrals to medical professionals based on the patient's needs. Patient advocates facilitate a payment plan for the patients, discussing this plan to the financial department of the facility. They also address the patients' inquiries and concerns, as well as their complaints with hospital operations, immediately raising these issues to higher management.

Patient relations manager vs patient advocate salary

Patient relations managers and patient advocates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Advocate
Average salary	$43,633	$36,325
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $68,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Cognizant
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between patient relations manager and patient advocate education

There are a few differences between a patient relations manager and a patient advocate in terms of educational background:

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Advocate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Patient relations manager vs patient advocate demographics

Here are the differences between patient relations managers' and patient advocates' demographics:

	Patient Relations Manager	Patient Advocate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 5.3% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 6.8% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between patient relations manager and patient advocate duties and responsibilities

Patient relations manager example responsibilities.

Manage PSR staff and perform all PSR functions including registration, check-out, medical records, order entry and procedure scheduling.
Lead interdisciplinary teams working on quality improvement initiatives and prepare for a JCAHO survey.
Provide excellent customer service in a medical institution and ensure all patients are well attend.
Oversee electronic medical records system and HIPPA compliance.
Maintain CMS and regulatory compliance with the grievance process.
Scan and file medical records in accordance with HIPAA protocols.

Patient advocate example responsibilities.

Manage the complaint process as required by CMS for the hospital.
Provide support for emergencies by managing inappropriate behaviors, aggressive patients, CPR and persons in crisis.
Train to welcome and register patients at ESI triage window.
Document patients medical problems using ICD 9 and CPT coding for patients diagnosis.
Pull any incoming referrals, triage them, and schedule patients with the appropriate doctor.
Collect and review patient information to determine patients' eligibility for Medicaid and charity program assistance.

Patient relations manager vs patient advocate skills

Common patient relations manager skills

Patients, 39%
Schedule Appointments, 14%
Patient Care, 11%
Patient Relations, 9%
Service Recovery, 2%
Patient Rights, 2%

Common patient advocate skills

Patients, 28%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Medicaid, 4%
Financial Assistance, 4%
Patient Accounts, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Patient Relations Manager
Patient Relations Manager vs Patient Advocate

Updated January 8, 2025

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